Bloody, Brutal Cato
by TaliaMacGregor
Summary: When Peeta is killed in the Games and Katniss is forced into another love story- with Cato. There will be lemons and language.
1. Thinking of You

**Thinking of You-Katy Perry**

* * *

I cuss softly when my fingertips slip past the penultimate button on Cinna's latest creation. Smiling slightly his long craftsman's fingers overtake mine, finishing the last buttons. I can't bring myself to look in the mirror in front of us, I know what he did anyway. The dress is the lightest shade of yellow before being pastel, just the colour of Peeta's hair. If I had anymore tears in my being, they would be shed now, instead I just shake. "Come and sit down, Katniss." Cinna, pulling me by entwined fingers to sit on the corridor bench. He curls his arms around me so his lips are just in line with my ear. I know this move, he needs to talk without being overheard. "Haymitch told me to tell you. So that's what I'm gonna do." He whispered.

I braced myself. "Go."

He takes a sharp intake of breath and speaks quickly, I struggle to separate his words. "You're in a bit of trouble, Snow is angry. The only plan Haymitch has is to create another love story. Don't worry, it'll all be fine. He'll do the talking and you'll never have to do it again." I stopped listening halfway through, pulled away and set my head in my hands.

"I can't do this."

"Yes you can, you have to. Think of Prim." He rubs the bare skin of my shaking back softly. He knows how to tug my heartstrings.

"Fine." I mouth and allow myself to be steered to my setting place, on a dark podium aware of the deafening roar Caesar is pulling from the crowd. I hold my breath. The platform jolts, then rises. I keep my eyes locked forwards, chin held high.

The lights are bright, the reception loud, I become aware of another rising figure to my left. "Cato." I whisper softly as my heart drops in realization. Cato, not Peeta, Cato. However, I'd be crazy to not admire how charming he looks right now, gazing at me with ice blue eyes, his muscular shoulders rising and falling.

That's when it hits me. Cinna's design, it wasn't Peeta's hair, it was Cato's. I almost let out a cry of betrayal and hurt when I realise there is a cameraman two feet from me, broadcasting to the whole of Panam. A silence captures the crowd in apt expectation as our platforms jolts to a stop.

I watch Cato, he watches me. He steps off his podium slowly, then almost runs to me, engulfing my tiny frame into his arms. I force my hands to lie softly on his chest. The silence is unbroken, so he tilts my chin up with his massive forefinger and presses his lips to mine. The audience actually sighs.

His hand winds back to the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. I know how fake this must look, so I close my eyes and think of Peeta back in the cave, his lips moving softly against mine. Christ he's gotten good at this. I feel him pull away and open my eyes into ice blue ones and am once again brought crashing back to reality.

Cato puts his lips to my ear, covering his mouth with his hands. He smells like fresh leather and rain, and it makes me go weak at the knees. "Good girl." He whispers, I can almost feel the patronising nature of his tone. He takes my hand and pulls me over to the couch. Caesar sits opposite, grinning his Capitol white beads. I catch Haymitch's eye- he raises an eyebrow at me and holds up to fingers, crossing them quickly. "More." He mouths.

Cato hauls at my waist and I fall into the seat next to him. His arm drapes around my shoulders, and I refuse the instinct to move to the other side of the couch. I must have flinched because he snaps his head to look at me, worried. _What would you do with Peeta_? I nuzzle my head into his shoulders and neck, pull my legs up and under me, and lay my right hand just above Cato's left knee. I feel him kiss my forehead so I smile, hoping the camera captures every movement in detail.

Caesar eyes us both happily, but I know he can see through everything. "Congratulations you two, winning the Hunger Games is no easy feat. What did you just say to her Cato?" He asks, leaning in.

"I told her she looked beautiful." Cato says almost instantly. Rehearsed. And it was perfect.

"And beautiful she is. Now let's take a look at the highlights of our 74th Games!" The screens jump into action, replaying every bloody death. I don't watch, I just sit, counting the seconds until I can leap away from Cato. He tenses up towards the end. "Clove." He whispers, sounding heartbroken. I realize I'm not the only one to lose a friend in the games. I look up just in time to see Cato slicing up Thresh, blood dying the corn field around them a monstrous colour.

I flinch away from him, but Cato pulls me back and cradles my face, forcing me to kiss him again as I hear the barking of mutations as Peeta dies. I'm instantly grateful for Cato, but I'm shaking too bad to speak, so I break away as the screens go blank and Caesar starts working the crowd again. Cato answers every question thrown at him with wit and charm. It's sickening.

"So Katniss, we all need to know, how could you switch to Cato so soon after Peeta?"

Cato jumps in. "Caesar, haven't you ever seen tributes acting before? We need sponsors, badly, we'll do anything to get them. I mean really, do I look like a cold-blooded killer right now?" He brushes loose strands of hair from my face, catching my eye for only a second.

"Well, no." Caesar says. "But how did this all start?"

Cato opens his mouth, but I know it isn't fair on him. "Training, we started talking in the training centre." The voice talking is strong, so unlike how I feel. "Cato was… kind and genuine and I had to have him, so we spent all of our time together, we'd even sneak out at night to talk on the roof, overlooking your beautiful city." The crowd is hanging on my every word, I can tell.

I sit back for the rest of the interview. Cato can handle it. Within an hour, the interview is over. I push away from Cato as soon as the cameras are off and run down the steps the Haymitch who catches me in his arms and hugs me tightly. "Good girl." He says into my hair. "Not long till you're home."


	2. Fix You

**A/N; Firstly thank you for favouriting, following and reviewing- you don't realize how much it means to the author until it happens to you. Please, tell me what you want to happen in this, I can't give you what you want unless you tell me. **

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**aworldinlovewithnight**

**Thanks again,  
Talia.**

**Fix You-Coldplay**

* * *

From the interview I was taken up to the penthouse, the one I shared with Peeta. My throat is clogged as the elevator _ding_ echoes. The furnishings are the same, the redheaded Avox girl smiling in the corner, but the air is cold and hostile. Haymitch mutters something about the balcony before leading Effie by the wrist towards the sliding glass doors while making a detour to snatch a bottle from the kitchen.

I stepped out of the elevator and heard the doors close behind me. "I'm sorry, but could you get my a blanket please?" I said the Avox girl, who bowed a little and sauntered away into the next room. The couch looked inviting, furry and above all, warm. I walked and sat down just as the Avox girl came back with a cashmere soft blanket. She tucked me in and lingered a little, holding on to my hand before spinning on her heels and leaving.

Time passed- it felt slow and tedious but when I checked the clock it only leapt from minute to minute. I tried hard to keep my mind blank, to stop it flashing back to the arena, and instead think of Gale and the Seam, Prim and Buttercup. Haymitch had just struck up a tune in a hoarse voice outside, and Effie tinkered her feminine laugh, false but lovable. The elevator chimed behind me. I jumped, and spun around to see the doors opening.

A groan escaped my lips. Cato, flanked on either side by the equally broad Brutus and the harsh looking Enobaria. "What the hell do you _want_?" I slap my face back to the couch, but it bounces back off the cushioned fabric.

Cato crossed his arms. "Shut it Fire Girl, Snow's orders. Blame your _mentor._" He sniggers as the tension is broken by Haymitch's folk singing. At just that moment the sliding doors open and Haymitch falls silent, taking in the scene.

"Thanks to your little love triangle we only get one floor." Cato snapped, stepping out of the elevator. I can almost hear the ground shake with every footstep. I sit up again, my jaw tightened of its own accord.

"So our families lives are in danger and the one thing you choose to complain about is that we only get one floor?" Materialistic git.

Enobaria steps forwards now, dragging Brutus with her and walking around the room towards the bedroom corridor. "Believe it or not, some of us don't enjoy screwing our cousins and bathing in mud." She snipped haughtily, turning the bend and disappearing.

"Last bedroom." Haymitch shouted, creasing his brow as if it cost him a great amount of energy. I felt a tug in my lower abdomen, Peeta's room. The cold got to my skin again, so I shivered, pulling the blanket around my tighter. Haymitch gave me a consoling look, before belching, then he continued through to the kitchen, took another two bottles from the fridge and returned to Effie.

I felt a dip in the couch springs as it squeaked in protest. Cato sat opposite me, as far along the couch as he could get. "Not gonna lie 12, they gave you better digs than us." He sounded deeply resentful but kept his gaze forwards, towards the wall with a flatscreen and cracking fake fire under it. "Even the couch is comfier."

I rolled my eyes and crinkled my nose, standing up even though it wasn't nearly late enough for bed. "Good, cause it's where you'll be sleeping tonight." I smiled sweetly, imitating Clove's sarcastic smirk. Cato eyed me cautiously, then let out a laugh, throwing his head back.

"Right sweetheart, cause I look like the kind of person who sleeps on couches." He stood up then, towering a head and a half over me. "So where is our room?"

"No way. No. Use my bathroom, it's the middle bedroom, but you're not sleeping with me." I snap, throwing him the blanket which he catches, and lays where he used to sit.

"Fine, sleep on the couch then."

I sighed, loudly. "Cato."

"This isn't up for discussion 12." He growled, stamping past me and turning the bend to the bedroom corridor.

Following him, I rubbed my eyes softly, it was going to be a long night. As soon as I open the door he just slammed, I'm hit by a wall of moans, a sound which takes me back to the arena. I stand frozen. Cato turns around from along my side of the bed. "What, never heard people fuck before? Want me to show you what it's like to scream that loud?" He sniggered.

"Cato that's disgusting." I shook the moans from my mind, closing the door behind me and head for the bathroom, grabbing a pair of joggers and tight t-shirt from the dresser. I usually just slept in my underwear, but that sure as hell wasn't happening tonight. When the bathroom door was shut tight, I stripped down to my underwear and washed the Capitol muck from my face.

At just the moment I was about to unclip my bra, the door swung open and Cato stepped onto the tiles. I groaned loudly. "There is a reason the door was closed." I hissed at him.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt." He smirked. He was shirtless, wearing just joggers too. Once again I was hit with an overwhelming urge to throw myself at him. Each chiselled abdominal muscle bulged as he breathed, his torso making an attractive upside-down triangle. My focus crawled up to his face, and his eyes locked on mine. He looked like he wanted to eat me, and I was instantly insecure. I pulled my joggers over my underwear quickly, watching him watching me.

He reached over to the sink and took his ring from the counter, then turned to face the mirror, running a hand through his already tousled locks. "Just so you know, Katniss, my offer was serious." He said huskily, then reached over and slapped my ass hard. I yelped a little as he laughed and left me alone, shutting the door.

I wasted a lot of time in the bathroom, washing my face then washing it again, doing my teeth three or four times hoping Cato would be asleep when I went to bed. To my relief, he was, curled up to himself on the usually uninhabited side of the bed. The sheets were as soft as they usually were, but it was odd to have so much clothing on. That combined with Cato's radiating heat soon made the room too stuffy to sleep. Reluctantly I peeled off my shirt and joggers and fell asleep almost instantly after that.

_Back in the forest, mutations hunting after all of us, Glimmer goes down first and is dragged off screaming by her supermodel blonde hair. Marvel is next, the canine goes straight for his stomach, taking a chunk of flesh with every bite. _

_Rue, another mutt goes for her heart, an instant death while Marvel's cries go unaided. Foxface now falls behind, the mut goes for her throat, tearing out her voice box with one bite, showing us all in fountain of splattered blood-._

When I woke up, I was screaming. It was still dark out. A manly arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me back, my ass pressed to his stomach. "Peeta." I whispered and turned around, burrowing into the blonde boys chest.

"No, it's Cato." A husky voice answered. I pushed away from him and realised my face is cold and wet with tears. "Nightmares?" He asked, sounding unsurprised.

"Every night." I whispered, hoarse. I sat up and rubbed my face, spreading out the liquid.

"Me too." He answered. I turned to face him, and he looked genuine. I was surprised, and I'm sure my face showed as much.

Cato sighed and sat up. "Don't think I'm trying anything, but I asked Enobaria about it. She said being with Brutus stopped them, can we try that?" His cheeks coloured red, his voice low and soft.

I just watched him getting redder and redder, even in the dim navy light. He lay back down and outstretched his arm. "Just come here?" He asked, pulling me down with his other hand. It felt wrong, being engulfed by him, his arms cradling my waist and anchoring me close to him, our toes touching. "12. Relax." He whispered, closing his eyes. Within a second he was out cold. I nestled my head into his chest and fell asleep.

He promised me the nightmares wouldn't affect my sleep- he was right.


	3. Paparazzi

**_How to I come up with plot? –Anon on Tumblr_**  
**I put my iPod on shuffle and use the first song as inspiration for the chapter. True story, hence the chapter names.**

**I'm still developing this story and I jump cases all the time- sorry!**  
**Leave requests in reviews, or in my ask/message on Tumblr:**

**aworldinlovewithnight**

**Thank you so very much,**  
**Talia**

**Paparazzi-Lady Gaga**

* * *

When I awoke, the sun streamed in, fragmented by the glass panes from the windows and fanned out into a kaleidoscope of colours on the opposite wall. Capitol residents rarely get out of bed before midday, something which I was slowly growing to adore. My bed was empty and cold.

Crawling out of it, I remembered my semi nakedness and yanked on my clothes from the night before. The apartment was quiet, I assumed by the open doors of Haymitch's and Enobaria's bedrooms that everyone bar me was awake.

In the living room, I found the assembly crowded around the kitchen table. Brutus and Cato were glaring into bowls of stew and cereal. Only Haymitch looked up to acknowledge my presence. "Afternoon, sleeping beauty." Instantly I noticed that the common-place reek of alcohol seeping from his every pore was gone.

"What's going on?" I ask the room in general, looking over to Cato who shovels cereal into his mouth double pace, avoiding my gaze. Effie giggles falsely and reaches over the rest her hand on mine.

"Now why would you ever think something was wro-."

Haymitch put his hand up to stop her trilling tone. "The Capitol audience… Well, they didn't quite take the interview as well as we'd hoped." No one moved.

"And?" I prompted, as a new Avox ladles a smooth green stew into the bowl in front of me.

Haymitch shifts uncomfortably. I notice the glass infront of him is the colour of rotton apple- whiskey would be my first guess. "And that means we need a new angle. See you look like a naïve lovestruck teenager willing to fawn over everybody who you see."

"Yeah I know, I thought you wanted me to look innocent?" I look around the table again, Effie has taken to an invisible mark on her hand and scrubs it forcefully, Enobaria is glaring at me, harsh features particularly pungent in the sunshine.

Haymitch nods low, his stubble almost being tipped with milk from his cereal. "And you did, but we need something different, a little passion." He looks down rather than at me.

I nod slowly. "Okay, so why are you all embarrassed?" Patience running thin in my veins.

"I didn't think you'd be willing to whore yourself up." Cato raises his head a mocking look of sympathy on his smug face.

I snap back to Haymitch wide eyed and open my mouth to protest. "Nothing like that, jackass. We just want a little more-" He raises both hands and mingles his fingertips.

In the bathroom I lock the door and check it perhaps five times before stripping off, under full knowledge that if Cato wanted in, a simple lock wouldn't stop him. I know there is no point in showering because my prep team will be here soon and inevitably want to wash me themselves. All the same, I step into the shower and scrub my skin under cold water- refreshing after a morning in the stuffy apartment.

Surely enough, within 10 minutes a knock on the bathroom door is followed by a slight giggle and I open the door to three tornados of excitement. I block out their mundane drivel they preach and focus on my reflection in the mirror as Venia darkens my eyelids to a smoky charcoal colour and Flavius tousles and curls my hair. An hour later, Cinna comes through the door, an angel of normality next to Octavia's green skin.

He shoos them away and gives me an awkward one arm hug while carrying my garment bag in the other hand. Soon Cinna is tweaking my hair to get it just right. He kisses the back of my hand, says he'll see me soon and leaves. The look I'm staring at isn't one I've ever seen before. The dark eyes and red lips make me resemble a racoon, but in the end I trust Cinna, so I leave the bathroom and find the rest of my entourage.

Cato is the only one who really jumps out though, his hair is tousled and messy like mine, he smells like the most toxic Capitol hairspray and his leather jacket makes him look even bulkier than he normally is. He looks me up and down, eyes blatantly pausing at my half-exposed black bra and leather boots. "_Finally_." He hisses as Haymitch and Enobaria turn.

"So you two will be travelling on the motorbike, you need to leave in exactly two minutes so that means hurry up." Effie says glancing worriedly at her watch. She herds us into the elevator.

"Motorbike?" I whisper to Haymitch panicked.

"Just wrap yourself around him and remember, passion." He slurs slowly not bothering to make eye contact.

"See you two soon!" Effie walks out of the elevator and turns away from the doors in front of us. Cato grabs my hand and pulls me towards the glass doors of the hotel. "Cato, can you ride a motor bike?" I hiss at him while we walk. He laughs then pushes me towards the wall next to the concierge desk. When my back hits the wall I'm aware that there are people outside the glass doors- Capitol people, with fancy wigs and sunglasses and cameras. Cameras.

I slap a grin on my face and raise an eyebrow at him. Cato takes my other hand and lifts both to the sides of my face, pinning them to the walls there. "I got this." He growls and inch from my forehead and pushed his hips towards me, pinning all of me to the wall. "So about last night." He continues, lowering his head until it sits against the crook of my neck. "You looked hot. Nice you know that in everyone's eyes, that ass belongs to me." He murmured before kissing my neck softly.

I moan and let my head fall back for the cameras. "Shame not in my eyes." I whisper back.

"We'll see. Now push me off you and start walking out." I push lightly on my hands and he falls back almost immediately laughing as I walk right past him, pouting slightly for the camera people who are jumping over one another like bugs. Cato catches me up and wraps his large hands around my waist, lifts me off the ground and throws me over his shoulder.

"Cato, what the hell?" I yell into his back, feeling him chuckle via his hard shoulders bouncing against my stomach. The glass doors open to a cool breeze filling the foyer as Cato carries us both outside. The camera men clear a path for us quickly, shouting our names over and over.

From under Cato's arm, I can see a sleek black and silver motor bike parked at the side of the busy street. It looks deadly. We stop moving, I feet a hand cross my ass and a sting of pain before Cato pulls me around the front of him. He stops lowering me when I'm a few inches taller than him, my feet three feet from the ground and looks at me expectantly. "What did you say about that ass, Fire Girl?" He asks loudly, tilting his head to one side like a confused puppy.

I remind myself of Glimmer. "It's all yours." And push my lips to his for a few seconds before he lowers me and straddles the bike.

"Don't forget it." He growls for the paparazzi, who are scrambling over their notepads. I roll my eyes and step over the bike behind him, tucking my legs under his and my hands under the seam of his jacket, pressing against his lower stomach muscles.

Cato kicks his foot to pull the break up and turns the ignition before pulling into the traffic. I realised soon after, no one bothered to give us helmets.

* * *

**Sorry! This chapter is a filler cause I needed them to move to another place. (And the song was really hard!) **

**I will try update tomorrow, because next week I have 3 finals so you'll be lucky to get anything from me.**

**Thank you!**

**Talia.**


	4. Last Friday Night

**I finished my finals- finally! Look forwards to a new chapter this Jubilee weekend :]**

**ruukia1, thank you very much for your brilliant idea- I didn't use it in this chapter- but I will definitely use it soon!**

**Leave requests in reviews, or in my ask/message on Tumblr:**

**aworldinlovewithnight**

**Last Friday Night – Avery (Katy Perry Cover)**

* * *

Cato leapt off the bike as soon as it had paused, pulling up to the sleek, silver Capitol train, and offering me a hand as I follow. While his driving was unsafe and unpleasant, it got us here in one piece. The paparazzi hadn't quite caught up yet, but I had the feeling it was only a matter of time. The train doors were already open, the boarding platform reaching out to touch the train floor in warm invitation. Cato lets go of my hand as soon as I jump off the bike. "What the hell was that?" I hiss at him, stalking past into the chilled train lounge.

The train was the exact double of the train that brought me to the Capitol the first time. A large open space of greys and sleek blues formed the lounge to front of me, to the left it merged into an open kitchen, to the left a curtained off bedroom and the door to the next carriage. I hear heavy footfall behind me and roll my eyes subconsciously. "_That_ was whoring you up. You know, what I'm _meant_ to do." He snaps and shrugs past me as the familiar buzz of Capitol cars escalates to my back. "Get in here, 12." Cato growled in a low, measured voice, walking towards the darkened curtains of the bedroom. Apart from the cupboards in the kitchen, the bedroom is the only area of the carriage not visible from the transparent windows. My jaw tightens, but hearing the Capitol chatter and photo clickers spurs me to join him behind the curtain.

Cato draws the curtain closed behind me. The room is far darker than outside, a small gas lamp on the bedside table feebly casting light around. I make to sit on the bed, it's soft, contrasting wildly from the hard leather of the bike which left imprints up and down my thighs. My feet are already tight and sore in their boots, so I pull my feet up and unzip each one, pulling off the shoes and throwing them to hit the heavy curtains. Just as I throw the second one, I'm distracted by a shifting of material. I look up and to where I just entered. Cato stands with his back to me. His jacket lay as a dark shadow at his feet, his ragged shirt in his right hand. I watch as he stretches out, his shoulder blades contouring his back, dimples at his waist and a dip where his spine should be, hidden by thick defined muscles. "Cato, what are you doing?" I force myself to hiss, although instinctually I wish to reach out and trace every line of his back.

He pivots and raises an eyebrow to me. "Acting. Maybe if you weren't so shit at it I'd get to go home soon."

My brow furrows. "There aren't cameras in here." I shrug, unnerved and struggling to keep my eyes up.

"I'm going out." He shrugs too, moving to sit beside me. The bed dips towards him, making it harder to stay upright. "Now." He turns to face me, making my heart jump double time. "Give me a lovebite- here." He taps his neck with a single finger.

I finch away from him. "A what?"

"Are you serious, Katniss?" He glares at me for a second, before deciding this is hilarious. "Geez, okay, uh, just suck my neck." He hesitates and shifts closer to me.

I jerk away from him and his semi-nakedness. "Why?" I snap.

"Because if you don't I'll rip your shirt off and make you go out there, kay?" He flares his nostrils dangerously before taking my head with one hand and pulling me closer to him. Overwhelmed by the strong leathery scent of his skin, I close my eyes as he pushes my lips to his neck, just above his collar bone. "Suck it, Katniss." He commands, using his hand as a vice. I have the feeling he won't let me go until I do, so I open my lips and pull his skin into my mouth. After a while, Cato lets his head fall back, his grip on my head softening. "You can stop now." He whispers huskily. I pull back, but even in the dark a blackish mark flaws his perfect skin where my mouth used to be. "It doesn't hurt." He rolls his eyes, inching away from me again before standing up, ruffling his hair with his hand and reaching behind him. He drags his nails along his back a few times then reaches down and unbuttons his jeans.

Cato looks up at me, throws me a smirk and turns around quickly, slipping through the curtains. I sat stare at the curtain for a long time, expecting him to burst in at any minute. However, all I can hear in a faint rummaging and the occasional muffled shout from a Capitol citizen. There isn't a clock in the bedroom, although I'm aware that the train leaves at 6:30 exactly. After a while longer I sigh and pick myself up off the bed. I take off my jacket, then realize Cinna put me in a painfully see through shirt which is so low it exposes most of a black bra. I run a hand through my hair and step out into the daylight of the carriage way again.

It takes a minute for my eyes to adjust, but I can hear and see the blurring shapes of Capitol photographers lining each window. I smile for them, before glancing up at the clock. 6:29. Even from where I'm standing I can see Cato's huge frame plundering the kitchen cupboards with vigour. He stands up and turns to me, grinning boyishly. His long legs carry him the few metres between us and he hands me a dark bottle.

"What is it?" I ask, feeling him press his body to mine.

"Beer." He snaps back. He sounds angry, but he still has a grin plastered to his face. His massive free hand wraps around my waist and he takes a swig of the already open bottle.

"Like Haymitch?"

"Yeah." I glance at the bottle in my hand before pressing its opening to my lips. It tastes bitter and strong, and it burns down my throat making me feel instantly lightheaded. Cato then reaches down, pushes his forearm into my thighs and lifts me with one arm.

"Cato!" I yelp, wrapping my legs around his waist to stop him from dropping me. I hear him chuckle as he walks over towards the couch, placing his beer on the table and does the same with mine, before lowering me to sit on the coach.

Over his shoulder I can see the Capitol paparazzi scrambling as the train gives a sharp jolt and slowly slides away from them. Cato's lips are on mine, unnaturally hot and soft, melting with mine repeatedly. After enough time for my brain to turn to mush, he pulls away and moves from between my legs, leaving them feeling cold.

"Thank god that's over." He mutters, sitting up next to me. He switches the TV on and reaches for his beer.

I watch him for a while, it seems longer since he pretends to be enwrapped in whatever he is watching. "So that's it? You're just going to ignore me?" I hear myself think out loud.

Cato turns and raises an eyebrow. "Wasn't aware there was anything left to say."

My brow furrows again. "We have to spend ages together, so acknowledging my presence would be appreciated." I hiss, arrogant git.

"Hi." He smiles sweetly before turning back to the TV and crossing his arms.

"Jackass."

Cato smirks then turns again. "Fine, let's play a getting to know you game, shall we?" He puts his beer next to mine and jumps off the couch, burrows into the kitchen and returns with two crystal clear bottles triple the size.

"We're playing… a drinking game?" I sit up. Haymitch would be so proud.

"Works for your mentor." He sits back down next to me and opens both bottles, setting one in front of me.

I sigh. It's worth a try, and it'll relieve a little boredom. And with a bit of luck it'll stop the nightmares tonight. "How does it work?"

"We're playing 'Have you ever.' So you say something you've never done and if I have done it, I drink, but nothing obvious. Kay?"

I nod.

"I've never broken the law." He says, leaning his head on his hand which is propped on the back of the couch. I'm reminded that his perfect chest is entirely bare and his icy eyes are bearing into my own.

"Damn you." I whisper, lifting the clear bottle to my lips. He raises an eyebrow as I let the clear liquid flow down my throat. It burns more than the last, but gives me a better head rush. "There is a wood near District 12, I go to hunt there." I shrug, returning the bottle to its place.

"Didn't think you were such a rebel, Fire Girl. Your turn." He smirked.

So we play this game, only occasionally catching each other out. It turns out districts aren't so different after all. Even with only a few drinks flowing down my throat, I feel dizzy and giggly. After a while I feel Cato's arm wrap around me. For once, it doesn't bother me, partly because it's dark out and the carriage is cool enough to evoke goosebumps on my bare skin.

"I have never went further than kissing." I smile, feeling a little flirtatious. Something about the drink makes my stomach flutter in a girly sensation I've only felt before when Gale tells me I'm pretty.

Cato inches away from me, a look of disbelieve etched on his face. "Bullshit." He rolls his eyes and takes a drink, but turns back to me. "You must have, what about that _cousin_ of yours?" He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

"We're just friends." I think of Gale and how he always wants it to be more. Never though, he's too platonic to be anything else and my eyes trail down to the bottle neck I'm holding.

Cato grunts sarcastically. "Have you kissed him?" He says in a mock patronising voice. The buzz of the TV and the hum of the train fills the silence between us.

"No, no one before Peeta." I sigh, remembering the first time in the cave, the kiss that saved my life.

Cato inches away again. "You've never kissed someone for real?" He reached over and placed his bottle back on the table. "Do you want to?" He grinned and returned to his position around me.

I chuckled a little. "Never. And I've never thought about it, I mean I've had other things on my mind." I fluttered a hand to the train around us. Once again we fall quiet, Cato nodding softly, not taking his eyes off me. I open my mouth to speak, find I don't have words, and shut it again.

Cato smiles and rolls his eyes at me. "You talk too much, Katniss, I'm surprised no one kissed you, it's the only way I can get you to shut up." He reaches a hand up and pushes my hair from my face, pushes forwards so our faces were centimetres apart, his hand cradling my face. "Do you want me to?" He whispers. I can taste his breath on my lips, alcohol ridden but hot and less burning.

"Yeah." I breath back, then he inches forwards and I meet him halfway. His lips brush mine lightly, his top lip fitting against mine. He holds it for a minute, squeezing my bottom lip between both of his gently. Then pulls away and repeats. My stomach flips each time he returns to kiss me, my arms wind around his neck, holding my bottle upright. His hand stays on my face, his thumb tracing my cheekbone or running down my jaw. After a while, he pulls away and I realize I stopped breathing. I exhale softly and smile, his lips only a tiny distance away from mine.

"You're gorgeous Katniss, but I'm too tired. Come to bed?" He whispers, pressing our foreheads together.

* * *

**So, drunk Cato is nice? Let me know if you like what I'm doing (or if you don't!) Feedback and ideas always welcome. **

**Thank you,  
Talia.**


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